AIMIM goes secular, issues ticket to Non-Muslims

The party has allotted tickets to eight women out of which two of them are non-Muslims.

The All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has issued tickets to two non-Muslim women in the first list of 18 candidates released by it. The party is likely to contest 60 seats in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election. Eight women have been issued tickets by the party out of which two of them are non-Muslims. Sujata Ramesh Bhalerao and Pushpa Balraj have been issued tickets to contest election from Sion-Dharavi and Dharavi respectively. Second list will be released by the party soon.

“We are contesting this election on developmental agenda. We have issued tickets to those candidates who are keen to work for development instead of focusing on citizens’ religion and caste background. People have wrong perception about AIMIM and have said that the party is communal which is unjustified. Our party wants to work for the development of the city and we don’t want to divide voters on communal lines,” said AIMIM Mumbai president Abdul Rehman Shakir Patni.

“We are willing to work for the development of Mumbai residents and religion and caste doesn’t matter for us. This time we have given tickets to all those people who will be contesting elections for the first time and are lawyers or doctors,” he added.

“Congress party always woos Muslims but have often sidelined them after coming to power. People have lost faith in BJP and Congress and are looking for other alternatives,” said Patni.

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi and his brother Akbaruddin Owaisi will hold rally in Mumbai on 28th January and later on election campaign will be held. The party has also issued ticket to Umar Saad, brother-in-law of cricketer Yusuf Pathan.

Few days back, Asaduddin Owaisi had kickstarted campaigning activities in the city. He said that despite having an annual budget of Rs 37,500 crore, the BMC had failed to fulfill its responsibilities as a planning authority. Owaisi had also expressed his displeasure over the civic body’s failure to utilise the budget for citizen’s welfare. AIMIM is confident of winning atleast 20 seats in the BMC election.

In the 2014 Maharashtra Assembly polls, Waris Pathan had won from the Byculla constituency and former journalist Imtiaz Jaleel emerged victorious from the Aurangabad constituency. The party also won 26 seats in the Aurangabad civic election. It opened account in Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation with four corporator seats. The party had clinched 11 of the 81 seats in Nanded Municipal Corporation elections.